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It was only when watching the sunrise, light blues and soft oranges illuminating the forests of this place- 'Green Hill'- that Knuckles wondered, What now?
The thought had drifted in his mind without anchor, as he'd meditated though the morning's nautical twilight. Knelt on a large boulder, knees connected to the hard surface, much more comfortable than the soft material the Humans had given him. It had all been at too quick a pace- their ferocious battle, the Doctors defeat, their oath to protect the Master Emerald- that before he could blink, Knuckles had been offered a rectangle lying flat on the ground, too soft for him to rest on.
He did not want to spoil their generosity- not after the honor they had shown, knowing that he had been the one hunting down their son, and still taking him into their home. But the ever-persisting sting of unease had kept him from closing his eyes. The smell of dusty wood and snores of others he barely knew had driven him to find soil- something grounding, something he knew.
Still, he was not far. He would not leave the Emerald because of mild discomforts. So he sat, meditation that edged on dozing, a small distance away from 'The Wachowski Family Home'. Knuckles had frowned when Sonic- Fast, blue, steadfast and so strange- had dubbed it that with the pride one would present their own nest. It had been, for the Hedgehog, he supposed. All he saw were four unstable walls.
Though he would not deny its beautiful location. He had been told there was a town near- though the residence was on its outskirts, tucked away between moody pine forests and serene hills, stretching over the horizon. It was a far cry from the wild jungle woods of his memories, but it was natural. It was beautiful. And though he'd traveled from star to star, in search of his destiny- he'd ended up on a planet blessed with warming sunrises, just like his home.
The light of dawn had woken him from his tranquility. He rose with the sun, after all. And with it, came the grounding feeling of premonition. Soon, the others would wake. Soon, he'd have to decide his next step forward.
A hare rushed past a bush, and the Echidna felt the sudden urge to big his claws into the earth and start burrowing. His kind did not participate in stagnation, but once he was faced with those who'd helped him, what was he to do? From his furthest memory, of purple eyes and wise words, to every cycle of the sun, his goal had been absolute. Now that he'd reached it- the Emerald was found, was safe, and guarded by him and unlikely allies- what was next?
Instinctively, he felt his fist clench, and suddenly, he was up, the first rays of sunshine warming his back as he turned towards the house. Destiny was not a place. It was not a temple under the sea, nor a cut gemstone. For him, it was a duty, to guard and protect. The Emerald had been found- but that had only been the beginning. Now it was time to honor his promise.
Why was everything around here so fluffy?
That thought, and about a thousand others, piled onto each other as Knuckles sat on the living room's sofa, the fox kit next to him, plates of breakfast in their hands. He had devoured the egg and strange, crispy, potato-y disc that had been provided for him, and was currently gathering the courage to swallow down the strips of cured meat. Next to him, two fuzzy brushes were leisurely swaying back and forth in rhythm with the younger's feet, who did not quite reach the ground from up on the couch. Knuckles had learnt his name to be Miles, though he had been titled 'Tails' by Sonic and the Humans- a title clearly earned, and thus, honored.
All around them, a flurry of electric blue buzzed, as if sitting still would surely burn his feet. The Hedgehog was chattering in sentences that never seemed to end- in tones of excitement, apprehension, mischief, wonder, and hopefulness- as he kept glancing over towards the dinner table, where the Lord of Donuts and Lady of Pretzels were in serious discussion.
For Echidna, titles had been about skill or trade, not status, and certainly not personality. He did not know what the Humans had done to bear the nobility of baked goods, but as was starting to become apparent in his fondness, Sonic had gone on about the origins of the nickname, insisting that they had them for a reason. And once that hedgehog got started, he would not stop.
"Man, what do you think they're talking about? I mean, i know what they're talking about- they're talking about you two staying here- but what specifically do you think they're talking about? It took some time before they figured out all their grown up stuff when i came to live here- but we have plenty of space in the attic-"
Tails had tried to cut through the other's rants with a comment, but it had simply given him another path of thought to speed down. Knuckles' ears were starting to ring, and the underlying rumbles of weary distrust had been partially unearthed by the Hedgehogs unsettling 'what-ifs'. The other Mobians might've seem like creatures of honor- holding true to the oath they'd made, by the ruins of the bridge- but it was duty that bound them, not care.
The Humans' hospitality was not infinite. While Sonic might've vouched for him, one of the first lessons Knuckles had to learn after his tribe's eradication was that the kindness strangers offered had its limits- the second one being, that people did not like to house, feed, or tolerate those whom they saw as ruthless, feral warriors. However, his mind argued- as if his thoughts were not the very thing providing worry in the first place, The Lady and Lord had not looked at him like that, yet. They'd looked in confusion, in worry, in fear- but not yet disgust.
Another part answered: But they hadn't looked at him like they did Sonic, either.
Unfamiliar dread settled, and his eyes met those of the Fox- who offered him a small, bashful smile. Were he not as skilled in perception, he might've missed it- but from the tapping of his shoes, and the tilting of his large ears, he seemed... nervous. Knuckles supposed he was not the only potentially-temporary guest.
The scraping of chairs was heard from the other room, and all three kids whipped their heads around at break-neck speed. The Humans got up from their places at the table and shared an embrace, before approaching the three extraterrestrials- Knuckles' stomach felt unusually queasy. Sonic quickly darted to sit down next to the other two, leg bouncing in impatiently, while on the other hand, the Echidna straightened, and puffed out his chest.
Standing in front of the TV, the Lord clapped his hands together, a smile on his face. "So..! We know that yesterday was a lot for you three, and there's one big question of everybody's minds right now..."
Sonic barely seemed to be able to contain himself, like a wound up toy ready to spring at any time. He was leaning in, on the edge of his seat to hear the answer- Tails matching his big, curious eyes. Knuckles tried not to think about the rituals of his tribe- trails of judgment and exile- and how the Humans were weighing his soul and duty, to determine weather he was worthy enough to stay with them.
"...We talked about it, and while it would definitely need some puzzling, and figuring out..."
Next to him, the Lady of the house shook her head with a smile and jabbed her elbow into his side playfully. Knuckles felt her scrutinizing gaze upon him as she crouched down to be at a closer eye-level with the fox and himself, and her dazzling smile did nothing to ease his worries until she said: "Knuckles, Tails, we would love to have you two stay with us."
Sonic snapped like a rubber band, and with an enthusiastic cry, sprung from the sofa and into ball, ricocheting around the room in a way that definitely seemed dangerous and most certainly damaging to the property. In equally roused fashion, Tails' namesakes fluffed up straight, and his hands flexed and shook in excitement, nodding to confirm to the woman.
Knuckles felt... an eerie calm.
The weight of worry had lifted of his shoulders, but it had simply switched with another heaviness, that urged him to stand to his feet and meet her eyes, with a steely determination. He was not thrown aside- not yet. These people, new friends, almost strangers, had offered him a place to fulfill his duty, and he would make sure he earned it.
He kneeled before the Lord and Lady of the house, bowing his head, and spoke with utmost respect. "It would be my honor. I will earn my place in your home."
Their faces stood taken aback, though it betrayed their concern for his words- but Sonic pounced towards his new brothers, unfurling from his ball and wrapping his arms around both of them. With the biggest, happiest eyes Knuckles had ever seen on a creature, he grinned to his parents.
"Mom, Dad- you wont regret this!"
Knuckles would make sure they didn't.
The hound was the only one who understood the importance of keeping watch.
Knuckles had been relieved, his first night as a Wachowski, when the canine had started alarming the Keepers of the house when Knuckles had stood on a creaking floor plank- that Ozzy took potential intruders just as seriously as he did. He had not been able to sleep, let rest take his mind and muscles- not just because of the soft rectangle. Though it was starting to become less and less appealing to him.
No, it had been habit that'd gotten his feet moving. The galaxy was a vast place- and while throughout his journey, visiting populated planets were a necessity to stock up on food, weapons, and information, he'd spent more time on uninhabited ones. Masses of land with bizarre landmarks, where there weren't any souls he could beg for a roof over his head, only beasts, monsters, and unknown dangers.
He'd had to learn the rules the hard way: Three rounds of the perimeter, only sleep on elevated surfaces, and never stay in the same place twice.
Earth worked very differently. He understood- had expected it, naturally, he'd stayed in other towns on other planets- just... not in a home. Not in one place. Survival had been dependent on those three rules for so long, they'd grown into his nature. Even as he laid next to the sleeping brothers, it'd felt like the very cells of his blood were pushing against the quiet. No one had looked around the house. The attic was not high enough. Four nights was pushing it.
He just needed to keep watch.
That first night, after the Lord of Donuts had woken up and calmed the hound, he'd tried to explain to him that there was no need to guard the house at night. That the property would be safe, that no one could break in, and that it was important for him to get eight hours of rest- to which Knuckles, of course, had laughed. Eight hours! Staying unconscious for that long would be a death sentence for half the places he's been!
Still, Lord Tom had insisted, and still, Knuckles would get up when the moon would peek through the attic's window. He would do a round through the halls- check the garden, patrol up to the forest's border, and back. He would climb the roof, get a vantage point, and do one more sweep of the inside. It was far from the optimal route, but often, he'd found by that time, someone would awaken, so he'd return to the attic and lay as still as he could, until he was sure they would not try to stop him. Then rinse and repeat the rounds. until dawn broke.
Cold, evening air rustled his quills on his way back from the treeline of the woods, and passively, Knuckles wondered if there would ever come a night where he would not feel the need to stay moving. The Master Emerald had been a closely kept secret since its creation- only passed on through the Owls and Echidna. Now Knuckles had found the last Owl, and he was no wise feathered sage- but a blur of blue and feelings.
If not even Longclaw's Apprentice had been looking for the Master Emerald, he wondered, What evils out there were?
He could feel its thrum now, even away from the house. Its silver-clear ring of energy, cutting through the chaos-and-abscence of this strange planet. Its hum reverberated through his veins, assuring him it still lay safely under the third-to-last step of stairs, and his shoulders fell, tired. Maybe he could leave the rest of the evening to Ozzy.
He'd had enough experience to know to stay close to the house. And after impressing on his fellow Guardian to stay alert until morning, he returned to the attic. It had once been the lone den of Sonic, filled with decorations, toys, knick-knacks, and other items Knuckles could not see the importance in- yet now, most of his clutter had been shoved aside to fit two extra rectangles. 'Mattresses', Lady Pretzel had said.
As usual, the Fox was nowhere near his. His night terrors, frequent and troubling, caused him to seek comfort with either the House Keepers, or Sonic, with whom he was now. Curled up against his side, one tail over his own snout, the other covering the hedgehogs midsection- a replacement for the blanket he'd kicked off. He was snoring slightly, and Knuckles remember complaining about the sound- to which Tails had said he'd kinda liked it, like white noise, to help him sleep. With ears as large as those, and a noise as loud as that, Knuckles didn't get it- but as he looked at them now, they seemed peacefully content with each other's company.
Exhaustion settled in Knuckles' gut, but it was different from the lethargy of battle or physical exertion. It had his muscles ache in the same way they did when he'd been traveling for days without rest, though now they tensed around his heart, and the back of his throat. He'd always been so bad with emotions- often not being able to decipher his own- and the feeling that threatened to spill out of his heart felt so raw, he had no idea where to put it.
They were brothers- that much was clear to anyone. Tails latched onto Sonic like he could do nothing wrong, and Sonic only tried to shine as hard as he could for the Fox. But to Knuckles... He didn't know how to describe what he was. He wanted Tails to look up to him, too- but he more importantly, wanted him to be safe, to know that whatever he lived, whatever he had not shared about his time before coming to Earth, Knuckles would make sure that it would not come to haunt this possibility of a future. He wanted Sonic to know that through the tribes that separate them, through the hatred he'd felt and the blame he'd placed on him, that he was so, so happy to have found another survivor of that horrible day. He wanted to keep him safe, too, to repay him for the incredible second chance he'd given him, wished him to understand that their kinship was not forged by the defeat of the Doctor, but the loss of a parent at an age too young.
Knuckles wanted them to know, but he barely understood this heart himself.
In the soft glow of the moonlight, he quietly knelt down, laying himself down next to Sonic's frameless mattress on the wooden floor of the attic. The planks were much preferred over the soft quicksand of his own mattress, and staying here would show the Fox that he would keep watch over him. It would show the Hedgehog that he understood what he went through. He wouldn't let anyone unwelcome into their home- None of the Kit's fears, None of the nasty memories from Then, and no evils that were after the Master Emerald. He'd keep watch.
Sleep still came difficult, but there was a comfort in the hardwood under his back, and the tail that'd fallen across his chest.